Opinion

Clean sweepers Sentencing people convicted of lower-level misdemeanors to community service is "a no-brainer," says a New York district attorney, who in recent days sent 70 drunks, speeders and the like to rake leaves, shovel mud, and bag garbage and debris in Coney Island neighborhoods devastated by Superstorm Sandy. Generally, people sentenced to community service in New York City are assigned to municipal departments, mainly transportation and sanitation. Connecticut has a similar program, but community service is performed for nonprofits such as Goodwill, soup kitchens and food pantries. Nothing wrong with that, but if Connecticut also used the New York model, imagine how much money taxpayers might save if judges and prosecutors put violators to work maintaining government-owned roads, land and buildings.

" Now, you know you can't do that in CT - it would be taking jobs away from union state and municipal employees and reduce the exorbitant amount of over time they would get, which pads their salaries to the point of doubling it in many cases. It would also reduce their pensions which are based on heavily padded work schedules in the few years just before "retirement" after 20-25 years of service at age 40-50 something...so they can then get another similar job in another political entity and "earn" another exorbitant amount of pay and a second FULL pension and benefit package. "

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